The Acolytes
by kataangweek
Summary: (Kataangst) An Air Acolyte seems overly comfortable around Aang. Is it something to worry about? Or should Katara ignore her petty conclusions? Find out in this juicy "Comprimise" spinoff. Original story credits to Aaynra!
1. Chapter 1

Jealousy

( _Compromise_ Spinoff)

Inspiration/Ideas Cred. to Aaynra

A/N: I was really enthralled by the setup that aaynra proposed in her oneshot: _Compromise_. I decided to "continue" that story. Well, continue the plot that it follows. I recommend reading that wonderful fic before you read this one.

(Disclaimer: I have no idea if what I talked about with Monks/enlightenment in here was relevant at all. I basically made it up. Forgive me if it is completely inaccurate!)

Enjoy! :)

* * *

Katara and Aang flew back to the Eastern Air Temple on Appa, happier, and more in love, than ever.

"Yay! Avatar Aang and Master Katara are back!" The Acolytes squealed, running over to the now-landing bison.

"It's been so boring without you." Hui, an older boy said.

"The pop-quiz was terrible! Why did you have to make it so hard?" A young girl named Fu complained.

"It wasn't that bad." Una scoffed.

"I'm so glad you're back, Aang. I missed you a lot." Ming, a pretty girl of Aang's age said.

"And you, Master Katara! We have so much to tell you." Ogi said deviously. Penelope rolled her eyes but blushed anyway.

"Well, I can't wait to hear everything!" Katara giggled. "But Avatar Aang and I have to unpack and breathe for a bit."

The Acolytes sighed but understood.

"Oh don't look so down!" Aang smiled. "Remember, there's a bonfire tonight. Don't miss it!"

The Acolytes erupted in excited chatter. Slowly, they peeled off into different directions, except for Ming.

"That quiz was really something, Aang." She shoved herself between Aang and Katara as they walked to their rooms. "I mean, we barely had learned any of it! But I bet I did really, really well. I've been studying extra, extra hard."

"Oh! That's great, Ming." Aang said happily. Katara frowned. She wanted some alone time with Aang, and this girl was practically walking into their rooms with them.

"You know, I have been having a little trouble on the chakra sections." She said, in a fake-whine. "Do you think you could help me, one on one?"

Aang didn't seem to notice her obvious lie. "Sure, Ming. I'd love to."

Ming stopped at the door to their room and clapped her hands together. "Great! I'll see you soon, Aang." She turned to Katara. "Katara." She spat, and walked away.

"Well that was kind of rude." Katara said flatly.

"What? How?" Aang was oblivious, as usual.

"Well, aren't your Acolytes supposed to call you Avatar Aang? And well, I never told them to, but they mostly call me Master Katara."

"She was just being casual. It was a casual conversation. It's not like we were in class or anything."

"But did you see the way she looked me up and down? And the way she said 'Katara' sounded like some sort of threat."

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Sweetie." Aang opened the door to their room. "You should probably ignore it."

Katara sighed, knowing Aang was probably right. It wasn't like her to be so paranoid, yet she felt odd about that girl. She was too casual with Aang, and it wasn't right. After all, he was their teacher. She should treat him, along with his girlfriend, with respect. But that wasn't always what happened. Katara constantly had to remind herself that Aang and her weren't that much older than most of the Acolytes. And as Katara knew well, Aang was very attractive, spiritually as well as physically. He was a role model, and a heartthrob to girls around the world. He was so smart and cunning, yet peaceful while creative. He also boasted big, grayish-brown eyes, a button nose and strong, defined muscles. This made Katara constantly insecure, yet also proud that she could call him her's. Maybe it was one of those things that triggered Ming's ease around him? Katara brushed the thought away. Ming was just being casual. Aang was right. She should ignore it.

And so she did.

Or, at least she tried.


	2. Chapter 2

Katara and Aang unpacked quickly. Katara wanted to have some alone time with Aang; but before she could catch him, he was out the door.

"Aang?" Katara ran after him. "Where are you going?"

Aang turned around and grabbed Katara's elbows.

"I'm sorry, Sweetie. But I need to meditate by the stream. I haven't gotten the chance in awhile, and I have to. I'm going to go crazy." He pecked her quickly on the cheek. "I love you!" And he was off.

Katara huffed, sitting down on the nearest rock, head resting on her hand. Maybe she needed time alone to think herself.

But in an air temple full of chatty Acolytes, that wasn't going to happen.

"Master Katara! Glad we found you. There's some new information about the Acolyte boy and Penelope!" Ogi squealed, racing over to Katara with a flustered Penelope at her hip.

"Oh. Great." Katara tried to sound as excited as possible. She was, but she was mostly just tired. You think that all her years sleeping on the road in tents would make her used to it. Nope.

"Oh my gosh! It was the most romantic thing ever." Ogi squealed.

"Ogi. Don't exaggerate." Penelope snapped.

"But it was, Master Katara! Penelope pretty much fell into his arms. He was all: 'Oh! Penelope! I didn't see you there!' and she was all: 'You know my name?' and he blushed and goes—"

"Okay, Ogi! That's enough." Penelope was brighter red than a tomato. Katara laughed.

"Aw. I think it's cute. So this Acolyte boy. What's his name?"

"His name is Chang." Ogi said the name as if it was the fanciest, sexiest name in the world.

Katara nudged Penelope. "Ooo. Chang: Flourishing. Prosperous. Smooth. Fluent."

"Long." Ogi added. Katara and Ogi giggled. Penelope looked monstrously enraged and embarrassed.

"Oh, c'mon, P. We're only teasing. He is a catch, and he's totally in love with you." Ogi placed a hand on her friend's shoulder.

"Can you give me any advice, Master Katara? You and Avatar Aang are so great with love!" Penelope piped hopefully.

"The most important thing is to be yourself. Act as least interested as possible, but send him subtle hints. Like whenever you're around him, play with your hair. Oo, or ask him how you look. Get him blushing. Tease him with pecks on the cheek and hugs, too."

"Wow." Ogi and Penelope said at the same time.

"Trust me. I had a lot of fun with Aang before we were dating. And I didn't even know I loved him yet! I knew there were feelings, but it wasn't until we kissed after the war ended until I realized how strong those feeling were."

The girls were fascinated. They sat with their head in their palms, eyes glistening.

"Tell us more!" Penelope said.

"Well," Katara blushed slightly, thinking about all the fluffy moments she and Aang shared before they were officially a couple. "The first time we kissed was in a—"

"Hello, girls." A snide voice interrupted from behind Katara. She turned to see Ming, walking over in regular clothing next to them. "Katara." She said as plainly as before.

"Ming, what are you wearing?" Penelope said, bewildered.

"My regular clothes, idiot."

Ogi glared fiercely. "Hey, don't call her an idiot! She had a valid question. You know we're not supposed to wear anything but our airbending clothes at the temple. We have to preserve the ancient rituals of the Monks."

"Oh, calm down, prissy-pants. There's a bonfire tonight. It's not like that was some ancient ritual of the Monks. Aang just wants us to have fun. And I'm sure he wouldn't mind if I wore this." Ming gestured devilishly to her tight Fire Nation clothing which shaped her curves very well and showed off much of her skin. Katara stood up to face Ming.

"I don't know what you're _implying_ , Ming, but I sure don't like how you're treating the other girls. Apologize immediately." Katara said firmly, trying to hold her anger in.

Ming laughed loudly. "Look who finally talking! Miss Perfect Waterbending Master. You think you're tough shit! Well I got news for you, Katara," She spit Katara's name rudely. "Just because you're the Avatar's _current_ girlfriend, doesn't mean you can boss us around. You're nothing but a distraction to Aang, who doesn't actually care about you. What he really wants is someone who understands his culture and supports him fully." Ming turned to leave, but added sarcastically: "Good luck with that!"

Penelope and Ogi's jaws dropped as Ming strutted away. Katara boiled with rage.

"Who does she think she is, talking to me like that?! I am not just the Avatar's ' _current girlfriend_ '!"

"Try not to let it get to you, Master Katara. She's just jealous." Ogi assured.

"Jealous of what?" Katara sat back on the rock, self-consciously folding her arms. "She's gorgeous." She said under her breath.

"She's jealous of your relationship with Avatar Aang." Penelope sighed.

"Totally. If any Acolyte is overly-obsessed with Avatar Aang, it would be Ming." Ogi added.

"What?" Katara's heart raced.

"Oh, yeah. That's all she ever talks about. How she's going to marry Avatar Aang one day and rule the world with him." Penelope explained annoyedly.

Katara didn't realize how much the thought of this affected her until she noticed her knuckles were white from clenching them in rage.

"But I wouldn't worry about her." Penelope consoled, placing a hand on Katara's shoulder. "She's just a power-hungy bitch. I'm sure Avatar Aang sees right through her!"

"Yeah…I'm so sure…" Katara muttered sarcastically.


	3. Chapter 3

After much back and forth arguments with herself, she decided it would be best to tell Aang about what happened with Ming and the things she said. Besides, it wasn't like she was worried that Aang might feel the same way. She just wanted him to know that Ming was a threat to the other girls and should be removed immediately. She walked back to her room before the bonfire started to get ready. Aang wasn't there yet, so she decided to do her hair. She grabbed her favorite comb and took out her hair to pull it threw her knotty waves. By the time Katara heard Aang's voice coming down the path, she had already finished her intricate hairstyle. But his voice was not alone.

Ming.

"Well, thank you so much Aang! You're such a great help." Ming and him reached the door so they were in Katara's view. Fortunately, they could not see Katara from the angle she was watching. She couldn't help but notice how close Ming was standing next to Aang.

"Well, I am the only person here who experienced the culture in person." Aang looked down at his feet.

"Aw, poor Aangy!" Katara cringed at the name. "You must get so upset." Ming placed a hand on Aang's cheek. Katara's blood boiled.

Aang nodded solemnly.

"Well, it's amazing what you're doing for us. It's really brave of you to teach non-airbenders your culture." As she spoke with a sultry inflection to her tone, Ming's hand traveled down Aang's cheek to his jawline, to his half exposed chest. Katara waited impatiently for Aang to swat Ming's hand away. But he didn't. Katara's fears were confirmed. Aang did have feelings for Ming. Her heart sank to her feet. She clutched her hands to her chest and darted out of the room before Aang could see her. She sat down on a rock and willed herself not to cry, not wanting to be a child about it. She was not some useless cry baby who weeped over her boyfriend. But she couldn't help it when the tears began to fall, slow and painful out of her red eyes. It was only minutes before Aang came out and saw her on the rock.

"What's wrong, Katara?" He knelt down beside her.

Katara was completely silent besides a few whimpers.

"Sweetie? Why are you crying?" Aang placed a hand on her cheek.

Katara slapped the hand away. "Don't touch me."

Aang backed away, unsure of what to do.

"What did I do?" He asked, genuinely confused.

Katara looked at him with rage in her eyes, tears pouring out.

"I saw you with Ming. She-" Katara bit her lip. "Touched you and you let her!"

Aang was oblivious to the obvious lust. "She was just consoling me. I was sad!"

"Oh, sure she was!" Katara spat.

"Katara, stop being so selfish! She was just being kind."

"I'm being selfish?! You don't even realize that girls are coming on to you because you're so used to it!"

"That is not true, Katara!"

"Of course it is. Why do you think she dressed like that?"

Aang was enraged. "She told me her airbending clothes were stained and ruined. She's waiting for new ones!"

Katara scoffed through tears. "She told me that she was wearing them for you."

"What?"

"To turn you on to her, Aang! So you would forget about me; your stupid little waterbending girlfriend, and fall hopelessly in love with her; a pretty, smart, fire bender." Katara began whispering her words as they stung her soul. She looked at the ground.

"I can't believe it."

"I know."

"No. I can't believe you would lie to me because you couldn't handle your jealousy! These are my students, Katara! My relationship with all of them is completely platonic! I can't believe you of all people would think otherwise!"

Katara said nothing.

"It's immature, stupid, and insulting. I thought you trusted me, but I guess not."

Aang turned away and left Katara alone.


	4. Chapter 4

Aang decided to go to the bonfire despite the heavy feeling in his heart. It was unlike him to fight and say such cruel things, but Katara was being completely irrational. Of course, he knew his Acolytes adored him, but it was completely a chaste relationship. He couldn't believe Katara was jealous of Ming. Of course, Ming was pretty. She had cute hair, nice eyes, and a good shape. But she was nothing compared to Katara. Katara had the most beautiful, lucious hair of anyone he knew. Her crystal blue eyes twinkled in any light, and reminded him of the deep icy waters surrounding her tribe. And don't get him started on her shape. Her curves were perfect in every way, making him constantly forget he was a Monk and sometimes making him wish he wasn't. Overall, Katara was perfect. Even so, it was her sweet, caring demeanor that made him fall in love with her four years earlier, not her dashing looks. Katara could light up anyones day just by talking to them. She made the best out of every situation, and always made Aang feel calm and cool in the heat of any conflict. Not to mention, she was the only person who could successfully pull Aang out of the Avatar State. Sure, Ming was nice. But her kindness was laced with an edge of fake-ness, causing Aang to wonder if Katara wasn't that far out of line. But Aang pushed the thought aside, knowing that his relationship with the Acolytes was nothing to be jealous of. He arrived at the central meeting area where wood was already being gathered.

"Great job, everyone!" Aang forced himself to smile. The few Acolytes present acknowledged his presence with a bow and continued working.

As the night drew on, more Acolytes arrived, each bringing a pillow to sit on. When mostly everyone was accounted for around the pile of wood, Aang decided it was about time to light the fire.

"Alright everyone, time to get things started!"

"Oh, but Avatar Aang!" Penelope piped. "Where's Master Katara?"

Aang tried to hide the pain in his voice and resulted to a nonchalant tone. "She wasn't feeling very well."

"Aw. That's too bad." Ming sighed loudly. Aang decided to ignore this. He turned to the wood pile and went into a firebending stance. He breathed air from his lungs and shot fire from his fist. The wood caught fire and burned high. The group cheered. Aang found himself an empty area and set himself down on an air scooter.

"Well, this has been a great year so far. Everyone continues to impress me with their knowledge and capabilities. I am so proud of everything you have done." Aang shifted himself uncomfortably. "When I lost the Air Nomads, I was so broken. I didn't think I would ever be happy again. But you guys have showed me, contrary to popular belief, that there can be non-bending Air Nomads. And for that, I am so grateful." Aang raised his cup of moon-peach juice that he had been giving. "To new beginnings!"

"To new beginnings!" The Acolytes repeated, raising their cups as well.

Many different Acolytes had brought instruments, for music was a crucial part of the Air Nomad's life. They had been taught traditional Nomadic pieces and played them at the various parties. This bonfire was no exception. Every Acolyte that had brought their instrument was playing as many people danced. At first, Aang laughed and danced with the group, but decided that it wasn't worth it later. He still felt terrible deep inside. He wished things could have gone differently. But they didn't. Katara had jumped to conclusions and showed that she didn't trust Aang at all. He loved her, and she couldn't trust him to be alone with another girl for five seconds. Aang wanted Katara to see it his way, but she was too stubborn. Suddenly, he was outraged. He shoved past a bunch of kids dancing and headed to Katara's stream to meditate. It was his second time today, but it felt necessary. He needed to clear his mind and cleanse himself of the rage inside. All the rage built up inside was not good. He sat down and folded his legs, placing his fists together. He closed his eyes. Slowly, Aang seeped into meditation. His thoughts, worries, and accusations flowed away down the stream. The material world around him felt separate as he focused on his breathing. He inhaled slowly and exhaled slowly, causing his mind to react positively. All he needed was a few more breathing exercises, and he would be back on track. But he stopped when he felt hands on his shoulders. They began massaging deeply, rubbing into his knots and tearing away at his stress.

"Katara. I'm so glad you're here." He smiled, eyes still closed. Slowly, he felt tiny kisses starting from his shoulders, creeping up his neck, tracing his jawline, and landing at his lips. But when he seeped his mouth into her's, it didn't taste like Katara. His eyes flashed open to find himself locking lips with Ming. He pulled back and screamed, standing up immediately.

"What the hell, Ming! Why did you do that?"

Ming frowned. "What? You didn't like it?" She stepped closer to Aang and put a hand on his chest. "You seemed to be enjoying it."

Aang stepped back, pushing her hand away. "How dare you? I am your teacher. And I am in a relationship with Katara. You know that!"

"So what, Aang? She doesn't have to know. No one does!" Ming stepped close yet again and placed her hand on Aang's upper thigh. "It'll be our little secret."

Aang's blood curdled, pushing her hand off him. "You have no idea what kind of trouble you have just got yourself in."

"Oh, calm down Aangy!" Ming placed her hand even father up his thigh. "Relax." Aang was bewildered, frozen in his tracks.

"Get. Your filthy hands. Off. My. Boyfriend." Said a strong voice behind Aang. Aang turned to find Katara, water bending the stream out in front of her, ready to attack.

Ming scoffed. "I'm a fire bender. I could take you down in a second."

Without a moment for Ming to get into a stance, Katara shot the water at her, pushing her to the ground off of Aang. She froze the water around Ming's shoulders, pinning her to the ground.

"If you touch him again, I swear to god I'll kill you." Katara barked. She turned around and began to walk off. Aang chased after her.

"Thanks, Sweetie. I'm really glad—" He started, leaning in to kiss her on the cheek.

She pushed him away. "Don't."

Katara wasn't ready to forgive Aang. He had doubted her, accused her of lying, and was completely blind to the fact that Ming was all over him.

It would take a lot more than rejecting the slut to win her back.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: The final chapter! Enjoy! :)

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The next day, the Acolytes had another class near the stream. They sat in rows with Aang at the front. Despite her grudge being held against Aang, Katara still was off to the side, watching on a column as Aang taught expertly about the chakras.

"I understood that some of you were having a bit of trouble understanding the chakras. And trust me, I did too. I used to think it was just for the Avatar. But over time, I learned that to reach enlightenment, most older Monks would try to open their chakras with help from Gurus. Today we are going to have an extended class to discuss the chakras."

The Acolytes moaned, but continued to listen attentively, scribbling notes on their pads.

"Most Monks would take the opening of their chakras as the final step to enlightenment. For anyone to succeed in opening all of them, they must have mastered all other steps of enlightenment. This takes many years of training, and most do not even begin to open the chakras until they are at least 30."

"Sorry to interrupt, Avatar Aang." Una stood to bow. "But didn't you open all your chakras with Guru Pathik? Wouldn't you have to go through each step of enlightenment with him as well?"

"That's a great question, Una. Since I became the Avatar at a desperate time, the monks started pushing me through enlightenment processes as soon as I could stand on two feet. This helped me with my airbending, and I became the youngest airbender to master the art. By the time I was 12, I had almost reached full enlightenment. But I ran off before it could be finished. Guru Pathik helped me take the final step of enlightenment, taking me a step further so I could control the Avatar State."

Many Acolytes whispered furiously, hoping that they would get a demonstration from Aang of the Avatar State.

"Quiet, Acolytes. Let's begin with the first Chakra. This chakra deals with…"

"But what about the onion banana juice!" Una exclaimed, standing up yet again, then covering her mouth. But Aang smiled.

"Yes. I almost forgot! To balance and cleanse our chakras beforehand, onion banana juice is commonly used. It's disgusting, but I believe it helped. It consisted of smushed bananas and a blended ripe onion."

The Acolytes cringed.

"Now. The first chakra. The earth chakra. This chakra is located at the base of the spine. It deals with survival, and is blocked by fear…" Aang began explaining each chakra in full detail, just as Guru Pathik told him. The Air Acolytes listened with great interest as Aang talked about what he had to let go throughout the process. Finally, Aang reached the last chakra.

"This is the seventh and final chakra. The thought chakra is located at the crown of the head. It deals with cosmic energy, and is blocked by earthly attachments." Aang looked to the ground. This chakra made him feel guilty. "In order to fully open this chakra, I needed to let go of what attached me to the earth."

"And what was that?" Una asked.

"Love." Aang said quietly. Katara straightened against the poll.

The Acolytes gasped.

"You had to let go of love?" Penelope was astounded.

"Yes. More specifically, Katara." Aang looked to Katara, who was hearing this for the first time. She looked away from him.

Some Acolytes swooned and gasped. Others simply rolled their eyes.

"At the mention of this, I was outraged. I told Guru Pathik that I wouldn't do it. I told him that I could not let go of Katara." Aang walked over to his girlfriend and placed both of his hands in hers. She let him, but she still did not meet his eyes. "I told him that I loved her." At this, Katara moved her eyes to meet Aang's. They held it there for a second, before Katara's eyes filled with tears, forcing her to look down.

"And I still love her." Aang turned to the Acolytes, his warm hands still clenching Katara's. "I need her more than anything else. She lights up my day. She makes me smile. She makes me laugh. She makes me want to be a better person. For her. I couldn't tell you how long ago I realized it, but I love her more than anything else. Lately I tested that love. I gave her reasons to believe that I did not love her as much as I did. I didn't believe her when she told me the truth. I was blinded by my own self-worth." He looked back to Katara. "Too blind to notice that she was hurting. And I'm sorry for that, Katara."

"But how did you master the Avatar State if you are still so connected to Katara?" Una asked, always wanting answers, even in the most emotional moments.

Aang smiled at her. "Avatar Roku once told me that 'When love is real…" He looked back at Katara. "…It finds a way.'"

Katara looked up at Aang and smiled, tears pouring from those beautiful eyes. She threw her arms around Aang's neck and he put his around her waist, in their usual, comfortable position. Aang buried his face in Katara's hair and Katara smiled into him.

"I'm so sorry Katara." He whispered.

"I love you too, Aang." She whispered back.


End file.
